Barbie Has a Problem: Moving Past Gender Stereotypes

By Andrew Kenealy

In keeping with the lighthearted spirit of Green Key Weekend at Dartmouth College, this World Outlook blog post will detail the recent adventures harmless international enemy of the public: Barbie.  However, even something as seemingly innocuous as Barbie can create controversy and public discontent, as evidenced by the topless woman burning a Barbie doll on a cross below.  Barbie may not be so harmless as she appears.  Indeed, it is often Barbie’s appearance that critics find problematic.

Protestors outside Barbie Dreamhouse, Berlin.

http://static2.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1346365.1368742006!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/index_635_390/390-barbie-0516.jpg

A “Barbie Dreamhouse” has recently been constructed in Berlin, Germany, and it serves as a tourist attraction designed to promote the Barbie franchise. Parents and their young daughters can explore a full toy kitchen, bake virtual cupcakes, rummage around Barbie’s closets, and even pretend to be rock stars. The dream house is merely temporary, and will be deconstructed after several months to be moved to another city in Europe.

Unfortunately for the Barbie Franchise, not everybody has warmly received the pink princess palace in Berlin. As seen in the image above, the Dreamhouse has elicited an enormous public outcry against Barbie and the image that the blonde, blue-eyed, anorexic-looking doll endorses.  Indeed, Barbie has been harshly criticized in recent decades for reinforcing gender-stereotypes, prioritizing good looks over intelligence, and encouraging typically domestic activities such as shopping, baking, and cleaning.

The 21^st century has been a time during which gender roles, and the extent to which gender specific toys can influence them, have been strongly questioned.  Created in 1959, Barbie is a still-breathing relic of the past.  Although Barbie has seen many changes since she was first launched, the basic doll remains the same.  Considering the increasing influence of the feminist movement, and new public perceptions of gender stereotypes, perhaps the new generation has outgrown Barbie. 

In a capitalist society, individuals place their votes on what they deem to be appropriate with their dollars.  As long as parents keep buying Barbie dolls for their daughters, Barbie and the image it stands for will stick around.  When consumers decide that Barbie dolls are no longer what they want to see their daughters play with, the Barbie franchise, and its giant pink dream house, will silently fade away.        

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/16/german-barbie-protest/2192555/

Media and Mekhennet: “Observations about the World after the Arab Spring”

By Feyaad Allie

Souad Mekhennet, German reporter and columnist who works for The New York Times, Der Spiegel and ZDF (German television) http://www.islamicstudies.harvard.edu/covering-islam/

For the Bernard D. Nossiter ’47 lecture at the Rockefeller Center on May 6, 2013, journalist Souad Mekhennet provided a different perspective on the motivations for the Arab Spring protests and their outcomes. Mekhennet obtained a unique viewpoint from witnessing protests and remaining in the region. She explained that the protesters told her they were protesting against corruption, better access to healthcare, and prosperity, not necessarily for democracy. In fact, she said that the people didn’t really seem to understand what democracy entailed.

Perhaps due the portrayal of Arab Spring events in the US, Mekhennet’s perspective was particularly interesting. In fact, it seems like constituents are more disapproving of the present condition of the government relative to the former regimes. Mekhennet stated that in Egypt 80-90% of women said that after the collapse of the Mubarak regime they were sexually assaulted. She mentioned her interviews with citizens of Arab Spring countries and revealed that most of them preferred the older regime because they were guaranteed basic security under those rulers. Elaborating, Mekhennet said the people are more afraid and women in particular are being threatened for not wearing the hijab. Overall, Mekhennet’s lecture emphasized that implementing democracy may still leave citizens with governments that neglect security or are unwilling to reform.

For me, the most interesting points that Mekhennet spoke about originated from the question and answer period. She explained that while Twitter and other social media sites were used to gather support and publicize the protest there was an often-overlooked downside: the validity of online information. Many times, Twitter updates from people at the protests were untrue. Mekhennet explained that there would be tweets about the police shooting into the crowd from protests where she was present; however, she saw no such action. As someone who is very interested and optimistic about social media, this surprised me. Prompted by a question regarding Syria, Mekhennet asserted that Syria could become the second Iraq. She recognized that several states and non-state actors have an interest in the area, making it susceptible to becoming a regional conflict.

Protesters in Tahrir Square. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/apr/18/arabic-fiction-revolution-spring

Mekhennet’s lecture raises some interesting considerations about social media. Will the use of social media persist in the Arab world although the protests are largely over? How can social media become a more reliable source of information? Will social media serve as a form of exposure to Western culture that may have stronger implications in the future?